From owner-drosophila@net.bio.net Thu Apr 28 23:00:00 1994 Path: biosci!daresbury!trane.uninett.no!eunet.no!nuug!EU.net!howland.reston.ans.net!cs.utexas.edu!convex!news.duke.edu!godot.cc.duq.edu!newsfeed.pitt.edu!dsinc!netnews.upenn.edu!metamorphosis.bio.upenn.edu!user From: gguild@sas.upenn.edu (Greg Guild) Newsgroups: bionet.drosophila Subject: Steam additives Followup-To: bionet.drosophila Date: 29 Apr 1994 21:06:52 GMT Organization: Univ of Pennsylvania Lines: 19 Distribution: world Message-ID: NNTP-Posting-Host: metamorphosis.bio.upenn.edu We are setting up a new flyroom and have a question concerning potential side effects (on Drosophila) from humidification using commercial steam as a water source. The manufacturer of the environmental room would like to use a steam line for humidification. (Any reader who has experienced a Philadelphia summer will realize that additional humidification is definitely unnecessary from May through September.) It turns out that most deionized water is probably too "pure" for the copper in the humidification system (eventually dissolving some components) and good old Philadelphia tap is probably 10 mM crud (eventually clogging the system). Philadelphia Thermal Energy supplies steam which includes low concentrations (probably <10 ppm) of morpholine and cyclohexylamine for pH control. These products are FDA and USDA approved for steam humidification, steam sterilization, and food preparation. Is anyone aquainted with these compounds and their potential impact on Drosophila health and welfare? Thanks in advance. .